Neuigkeiten » away down the right side, but sent his shot past the le

BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi and his father were ordered by a Spanish court on Thursday to appear for questioning in September as part of an investigation into tax fraud allegations. A court in the Mediterranean coastal town of Gava near Barcelona accepted a state prosecutors complaint alleging that Messi and father Jorge defrauded the Spanish tax office of 4 million euros ($5.3 million). The Barcelona and Argentina star and his father will appear before judge Anju Deb Rani in Gava on Sept. 17. That will form part of an investigation to determine whether grounds exist to charge them with tax evasion. The court said in a statement that the judges acceptance of the complaint was "a routine step." "To move forward with the investigation a series of procedural steps will be carried out like taking testimony of the people necessary so as to clarify if a criminal offence has been committed or not," the court said. If charged and found guilty, Messi and his father could face a fine amounting to 150 per cent of the concealed earnings and between two and six years in prison, although an out-of-court deal is another possible outcome. Court officials told The Associated Press that Messi and his father will have to appear in person for a session that will be closed to the public. The timing of the court appearance could coincide with Barcelonas opening game in the Champions League, set to be played either on Sept. 17 or 18. The court accepted the complaint lodged by prosecutor Raquel Amada on June 12 accusing the pair of not paying the correct taxes from revenue earned from image rights on Messis income tax returns from the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. The complaint said they supposedly used a network of shell companies in tax havens such as Belize and Uruguay to avoid Messis tax obligations. Messi has denied wrongdoing. He has received public backing from Barcelona club president Sandro Rosell and former president Joan Laporta, who was in charge during the years of the allegations. The 25-year-old Messi is widely considered the best player of his generation and one of the best in history after winning an unprecedented four straight FIFA world player of the year awards. He scored 60 goals in the Spanish league this season before hurting his right hamstring, but it was still more than enough to guide Barcelona to its fourth domestic title in five seasons. Messi is rated by Forbes as the worlds 10th highest-paid athlete. He reportedly earned $41.3 million to June this year, with $20.3 million coming from his club salary and $21 million in endorsements. He leads an apparently quiet life focused on his family - he became a father last year - and has never been linked to any unsavoury episodes, making him a widely liked figure across the world. Even though the legal process could be drawn out, Messis brand value is unlikely to be hurt too much, according to Coventry University Sport Business Strategy and Marketing Professor Simon Chadwick. "It could damage his brand because youve got activity that goes against his image of a boy-like figure," Chadwick told the AP. "But my own personal take is that Messi is of such stature that it will be relatively insignificant. Tiger Woods had affairs with women and they (his sponsors) stuck with him and he is back at the top of the Forbes list." The complaint lists Messis sponsors that paid him revenues on image rights which he allegedly didnt pay taxes on. They include Barcelona, Adidas, Danone, Konami, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi-Cola, and Telefonica, among several others.Authentic Malik Jefferson Jersey . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Authentic Rod Taylor Jersey . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. http://www.cheapbengalsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-jessie-bates-iii-jersey . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Authentic Mark Walton Jersey . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Authentic Sam Hubbard Jersey . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble.FOXBORO, Mass. -- The New England Revolution and D.C. United battled to a scoreless draw Saturday night in which Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth had to make just one save for his seventh shutout of the season. New England (5-4-5) is unbeaten through its last five (3-0-2) matches and has lost just once in its last eight (4-1-3). D.C. United (1-10-3) was shutout for the third straight match, for the eighth time overall this season and is winless in its last 12 (0-9-3) matches. New England, which suffered three one-goal losses to D.C. United last season, saw its unscored upon streak stretch to 395 minutes before 14,163 at Gillette Stadium. Uniteds best scoring chance came in the eighth minute when Nick DeLeon had a partial breakaway down the right side, but sent his shot past the left post. Uniteds lone shot on goal was a 35-yard drive by Chris Pontius inn the 28th minute.dddddddddddd United, scoreless through the last 295 minutes, had three corner kicks in the first half and four more in the second half, but could not dent Shuttleworth. New England similarly had three first-half corner kicks and one in the second half, but could not get past United goalie Bill Hamid, who made four saves for his third shutout. New England had strong scoring chances from Lee Nguyen in the 88th minute and Kelyn Rowe in the 89th minute, while a Diego Fagundez drive sailed just over the crossbar in the 66th minute. New England, which had scored seven goals over its previous two matches, had three good first-half scoring chances as Nguyen had a right-footed blast over the net in the 18th minute and another in the 31st minute, while Saer Sene had a drive from atop the penalty box in the 22nd minute sail over the bar. ' ' '